KANSAS CITY, MO — As the next generation of bakers enters the commercial baking industry, joining veterans eager to pass down their well-earned knowledge, the International Baking Industry Exposition (IBIE) 2025, set for Sept. 13-17 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, is positioned to provide industry experts, newcomers and everyone in between with just what they’re looking for.
The triennial event, which puts all profits back into the baking industry, is owned by the American Bakers Association (ABA) and BEMA, with support from the Retail Bakers of America (RBA). In anticipation of the Baking Expo, Lily Cota, associate editor for Commercial Baking, sat down with IBIE 2025 planning committee members to find out what attendees can expect from the show.
Lily Cota: IBIE 2022 was the only international baking show not impacted by the pandemic, so it had a ton of energy. How will IBIE 2025 top that excitement?
Allen Wright: That is a challenge for any recurring event: How do you make it better than the one before? There was a lot of pent-up energy coming out of COVID going into IBIE 2022, and from what we’ve seen so far, excitement is just as robust, if not more so. Our team is pulling together exceptional programming, and we have no doubt our exhibitors will show up with the latest innovations.
Jorge Zarate: With each IBIE, we try to surpass ourselves, and we’re achieving that in 2025. We constantly look for what’s new, what’s trending and what’s next for our industry. We are already 98% sold out on the floor, a great indicator of a successful show.
Are there any residual effects from COVID, such as supply chain struggles, that affected planning for IBIE 2025?
Ken Newsome: Well, iba is being held in the same year and while we were not affected by COVID, they were. To get back onto their regular schedule, they doubled up last year with interpack, and they’re doubling up this year with IBIE, so exhibitors who attend both shows have been planning earlier than normal. But other than that, the effects of the pandemic are principally behind us. While 2022 was unique because we were the first international industry event to occur following the pandemic closures, every show brings its own excitement.
Wright: The biggest thing that impacts planning for the show is mindset. We’ve come out of the pandemic planning mindset and are back into a normalized planning timeline. Fortunately, there’s a lot of continuity on the committee, and we can go back several show cycles to guide us.
As a committee of bakers and suppliers, how do you tap into those business relationships to deliver what IBIE exhibitors and attendees need?
Wright: The committee is equally divided amongst bakers and suppliers, with diverse perspectives from both sides. We tap into their respective expertise and experiences to ensure the show is relevant and solutions-focused. We all have our pulse on the industry and what matters because we are the industry.
Zarate: That is the beauty of how IBIE is organized. The committee is voluntarily working, giving their time and their expertise to create this product between both groups, for the best of the industry.
Kim Nisbet: We know the different types of learning, experiences, and commercial pursuits attendees are after, and we know what constraints they face. This is the committee’s North Star when planning IBIE.
Trina Bediako: The committee is inherently tight-knit. We interact with each other in so many different ways and at several events. By keeping these relationships and communication open, we see what we’re faced with so that IBIE can be in a position to support the industry.
How has consolidation, whether for suppliers or baking companies, changed the industry, and how will it impact the show?
Dennis Gunnell: Consolidation will continue; it’s nothing new. It’s important to the industry, but it’s also important to know that 75% of our exhibitors and attendees return show after show. But that also means that 25% of our exhibitors are new, which is equally important. We have new startups and suppliers who offer bakers something new and different.
Jason Frye: I agree. Consolidation is not new, it’s just part of the industry. And it makes the industry stronger. When there is a consolidation, now you’re bringing more people with different points of view and experiences, and it’s very enriching for the exhibitors as well to interact with them. And while that means we have more “big” suppliers, there’s a still a lot of smaller suppliers that provide great relevance as well.
Newsome: I don’t think it affects the attendee experience. What impacts the attendees is a hall full of interesting and appropriate suppliers. If you look at the space, we don’t have a lack of people who want to be there and tell their story.
What are your predictions on how the rise of private equity ownership will impact capital expenditures? What should exhibitors be thinking about in that regard?
Bediako: Private equity groups are newer members at the bakers table, and, in some cases, they can upset the available capital chart. However, the industry is experiencing an influx, moving from small family businesses to private equity groups. If we collaborate and integrate appropriately, there can be learnings on each side.
Rick Hoskins: I think the influx of private equity in baking will further increase capital investment within the industry. One of the quickest ways for private equity to obtain worthwhile returns is to invest in capital. Exhibitors need to be focused on communicating how their solutions will impact return on investment for attendees.
This story has been adapted from the February | Q1 2025 issue of Commercial Baking. Read the full story in the digital edition here.
